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Wellington, FL 33414
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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 19 percent of kids between the ages of 2 and 19 have untreated cavities. To prevent childhood tooth decay, healthy dental habits should start from day one along with regular visits to a Pediatric Dentist in West Palm Beach.
There are some bad habits that can negatively affects your child's dental health. These habits should be replaced by healthy ones:
- Middle-of-the-Night Breast/Bottle feeding - Baby teeth can become decayed if overexposed to breast/bottle feeding (milk, formula, or juice) at night because of the sugar.
- Nail-Biting – It can chip, crack, or wear down your kid’s teeth and impact his/her jaw causing jaw dysfunction. Additionally, biting nails can introduce harmful bacteria into your kid’s mouth.
- Thumb-Sucking – For children ages five and up, with permanent teeth, it can cause an overbite or incorrect alignment of the teeth creating difficulties to chew.
- Opening packages or other items with the teeth – Using the teeth as a tool to open packages or other items can cause your child’ teeth to chip or crack.
- Playing contact sports without a mouth guard – A hit to the mouth during a big game can lead to lose, chipped or even lost teeth.
- Chewing on ice, pens, and pencils – It can cause teeth to crack or chip and can even irritate soft tissue inside teeth. It can also lead to dangerous oral trauma if a child falls while having a pen or pencil in the mouth,
- Grinding teeth – Stress and sleeping habits are common causes of teeth grinding, which wear teeth down over time.
- Brushing too hard – Using bristles that are too firm or brushing aggressively can damage teeth and irritate gums.
- Neglecting the Dentist – Wait until there is a problem before bringing your child to the Pediatric Dentist near me. A baby is at risk for tooth decay as soon as the first tooth emerges.
The American Dental Association suggests that kids visit the Pediatric Dentist in Wellington within six months after their first tooth appears and no later than their first birthday. The Kid’s dentist will help parents implement a preventative strategy to protect the teeth from harm and bad habits and demonstrate how infant teeth should be brushed and flossed.
Tooth decay is one of the most infectious oral diseases. Harmful cavity-causing bacteria can be passed from person to person, just like the flu. Numerous studies have shown that cavity-causing bacteria can pass from person to person through the transfer of saliva, such as sharing utensils, blowing on food, and yes, even kissing.
Babies and newborns do not have the bacteria that cause tooth decay in their mouths at birth, but if someone with infected saliva kisses them on the mouth, those bacteria can then colonize. Also, some researchers concluded mothers with cavities can transmit cavity-producing oral bacteria to their babies when they clean pacifiers by sticking them in their own mouths, or by sharing spoons.
When teeth first come into the mouth, when they first erupt, the enamel is very soft and are very susceptible becoming them particularly vulnerable. ADA recommends scheduling a baby first dental appointment at the first birthday at a kid friendly office.
Tooth decay can negatively impact a child's quality of life, performance in school, and success in life. Regular checkups and professional cleaning every six months in a Pediatric Office near me will reduce the possibility of developing cavities at early age.
Craving or chewing ice or drinking iced beverages is the most common symptom of pagophagia. It can be a symptom of iron deficiency anemia, the most common form of anemia.
Ice munching will not destroy your health like other addictions will. But can provoke dental damages. Chewing ice, just like many other hard foods, puts an enormous amount of pressure on your teeth and has the potential to damage teeth, enamel, and gums. While the dentin in your teeth is relatively flexible, the enamel is extremely hard and does not flex much. Chewing on ice can wear down and weaken the enamel of your teeth, which can cause cracking. Also, it causes potential cuts on the soft tissues inside your mouth. Constantly chewing on ice and pressing down on the gums could cause injury to your gums and potentially lead to gum recession.
This habit is especially bad for those who have braces or those who have dental work at a Child’s Dentist such as fillings and crowns. Also, for those with sensitive teeth, chewing ice will most likely worsen, rather than numb, the pain.
The American Dental Association suggests skipping ice chewing. It is recommended to visit a Pediatric Dentistry in Wellington every 6 months for professional cleaning at regular check-ups.
Dental fillings do not last forever. Fillings have a life expectancy of eight to 10 years. However, they can last 20 years or longer. When the fillings in your kid’s mouth start to break down, food and bacteria can get underneath them and can cause decay deep in the tooth.
Some of the most common reasons that fillings break down are:
- New decay around or under the filling which is soft and therefore the filling came out because it no longer rested on a solid surface.
- Chewing too hard or biting into hard or crunchy foods. Chewing ice or hard food can be risky for anyone with fillings.
- Sticky gummy foods such as: vitamins, supplements, fruit snacks, dried fruit, and granola bars. All sticky gummy foods can help separate the filling from the tooth.
- Grinding teeth. Some children grind their teeth, and this can also be detrimental to fillings.
If you keep your kid’s teeth and gums in good shape and you see his/her Pediatric Dentist in the area regularly for checkups, you child’s fillings are more likely to last longer.
The primary molars generally fall out around age 10-12, They act as space holders for the permanent teeth and help guide the next permanent teeth come into place. Also, they help children chew food and speak properly during their critical developmental years. When a diseased primary tooth is not treated, the decay may spread to neighboring teeth including the permanent tooth that has not yet emerged.
Crowns are recommended by Pediatric Dentists in West Palm Beach when it is necessary to repair and restore a primary (baby) tooth found to have a large cavity or cavities, broken tooth, or a primary tooth which has not developed correctly.
A stainless-steel crown may be the best solution for a baby tooth that is too severely damaged for a regular filling. It has been used in kid’s dentistry for 70 years and are the most common type of crown for children. This strong metal cap covers the entire tooth and are hard to lose or damage. They have a smooth polished surface which makes them easy to clean and most last four years or more.
The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) recommends restoring the tooth with a stainless steel crown especially if the tooth has received pulpal therapy. After removing the decay, your Children’s Dentist near me will fit and cement a prefabricated crown made of stainless steel over the tooth.
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1037 S. State Road 7 Suite 215
Wellington, FL 33414